A Simple Question
by Taylor's Abs
Summary: Shippo asks the group the age-old question, "Where do babies come from?"


AN: Hey guys! This is a little oneshot that came to me a few nights ago. I just couldn't pass it up! I don't usually put ANs at the top of my stories as many of you know but… meh… I just felt like it. I do all my stories differently. Anyways… enjoy!

Disclaimer: (Wow, I'm actually putting one in for once…) I don't own Inuyasha or any of the characters. If I did, well… let's just say the world wouldn't know them. I would keep them all secluded in my house for my own twisted pleasure…

* * *

A Simple Question

.

.

.

.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. Everything was peaceful… or everything was…

"You pervert!"

"Sango, please calm down."

"Calm down?! After all we've been through, you dare ask that woman to bear your child?!" Sango held her large boomerang above her head ready to strike the monk at her knees asking for her forgiveness.

"I got ahead of myself… It'll never happen again! I'm sorry!" Miroku clasped his hands together in a praying action and put on his most apologetic look. He wasn't lying. He was truly sorry. He had just gotten so used to asking pretty women that infamous question that he had forgotten he didn't need to anymore. He had someone. He had Sango. He knew that if he didn't pull his act together, he'd end up a single, as-good-as-dead man again.

Sango sighed as she lowered her weapon. "Well… it better not happen again or I swear Miroku I won't wait for that wind tunnel to suck you up, I'll kill you myself."

A well thought of threat, although worth nothing. Both monk and exterminator knew well enough that Sango would never actually kill Miroku… beat him ruthlessly, yes, but kill him… nah.

Three witnesses of the event stood by the doorway of the hut they had spent the night in. They watched as Sango helped Miroku to his feet. The pair smiled at each other as they walked off together.

"I don't get it," said Inuyasha, scratching his head. "Miroku's still the same guy he was when we first met him and yet Sango can't seem to stay mad at him for more than a couple of minutes."

"Inuyasha you're so naïve," sighed Kagome, shaking her head. "Sango really likes Miroku. Of course she can't stay mad at him for long. Not with him being so devoted to her and all." She looked off at the two strolling along the road chatting. She sighed, "Ah, it's like they were meant to be…"

Shippo sucked on his lollipop, watching both Inuyasha and Kagome talk and Sango and Miroku. He tilted his head to one side as familiar questions appeared on his mind.

He looked up when Kagome began to speak again. "Well, how about we go have some lunch under that tree over there. It'll be like a little picnic."

Inuyasha shrugged. "Whatever. As long as food's involved I don't care where we eat."

The pair began to walk away, beckoning Shippo to follow. When they reached the said tree Kagome spread out a large blanket and began unloading an assortment of different food from her big yellow bag. In no more that ten minutes all the food was cooked and set up, ready to be eaten. Sango and Miroku, noticing where their comrades now sat, made their way over to the tree, to the awaiting scrumptious looking meal.

Soon everyone was seated and eating their selected dishes. Inuyasha sat contently against the tree slurping up his ramen. Miroku laid his staff beside him and closed his eyes as he began sipping at a glass of 'fruit punch' as Kagome called it. Sango and Kagome conversed quietly while they ate. All was once more peaceful.

Shippo nibbled on some rice thoughtfully as his mind clouded over with his earlier questions. No matter how much he pondered them. He just couldn't figure it out. He looked over at his friends. They were usually pretty oblivious to the answers to the questions he regularly asked them but… maybe they could help him out this time. They probably knew more about the subject then he did.

"Hey guys," he said without looking up from his bowl of rice. Everyone looked over at him, not bothering to stop eating. Shippo looked up with innocent eyes. "Where do babies come from?"

…It all happened in a sequence of events. Inuyasha coughed into his ramen. Miroku choked on his drink nearly spraying everyone within distance. Sango expression suddenly turned into dumbfounded shock. Kagome looked at him with her mouth hanging open, speechless. All the while Shippo just starred at them, awaiting their responses.

"Well? Where do they come from?" He repeated, looking innocently at the group. "I've been wondering that for a while now. Miroku's always asking women to bear his child. Well… how do people bear children?"

Everyone seemed to glance at each other at the same time, wondering who would be the one to explain the 'process' to the young fox demon.

"Shippo," began Sango. "Didn't your parents ever… explain this to you?"

"No. I was never curious about the subject until I met you guys."

Miroku cleared his throat. "You see Shippo, sometime men and women will engage in an event." He tried to explain it so that in the end it wouldn't result in him getting a large bump on his head for taking things to far from a certain demon slayer.

"So it's like a festival?"

"Well… no… not exactly." Miroku began to look uncomfortable as he tried to think of a better way of wording it.

"Shippo, babies happen from a thing called 'the birds and the bees'," said Kagome. She tried to remember the exact words her mother had said to her when she had gotten curious enough to ask her that question.

Inuyasha sat up from his slouch against the tree. "Birds and bees? What the hell do they have to do with anything?"

"Erm… well the birds are the girls and the bees are the guys… I think…" A blush began to spread across her face. She had never realized how embarrassing explaining the topic of how babies were created really was. No wonder her mother had fidgeted and avoided eye contact with her when she had been questioned.

"So you're saying that a girl bird does _that_ with a guy bee?" Inuyasha asked in confusion.

"That seems quite unorthodox to me," said Miroku.

"Your era must have some pretty interesting choices of pairings Kagome," Sango said.

"Well… they don't… actually do… oh I give up!" Kagome sighed and crossed her arms.

Shippo continued to stare at the group of uncomfortable friends. He didn't understand what the problem was. It couldn't be that hard to explain where babies came from could it?

"Ok Shippo," said Sango turning to him. "Babies are like plants – "

"First birds and bees and now plants?" interrupted Inuyasha.

Sango ignored him. "Do you know how plants are made?"

Shippo shook his head. The exterminator continued her lesson. "Well a farmer puts a seed in the ground and then eventually a plant is born. The same happens when a baby is created."

"But how does that explain where babies come from? Do they come from the ground?" Shippo asked. Sango didn't answer she obviously felt she had said her share on the matter.

"Well no," said Kagome. "Babies come from women."

"Only women?"

"Yes. Men can't have babies. They… help to make the baby."

"How?"

Kagome sat quietly, looking elsewhere, pretending she hadn't heard that three-letter question. Shippo looked at Miroku.

"Miroku, you're always asking pretty ladies to bear you a child. How do they bear children?"

"Well, a baby is a mixture of a man and a woman," he began. "A male and female will… come together at one point on the intent of making a baby. A little bit of the man will go into the woman. And then the baby will grow inside the woman and then eventually be born."

Miroku mentally patted himself on the back for that explanation. Nice and simple. Nowhere near as graphic as he could have explained it. Hopefully that would be efficient enough to satisfy Shippo's craving for answers.

The fox demon was quiet as he processed the information he had been given. So babies came from women. They were created when men and women did some sort of 'event' where they 'came together'. The baby would grow inside of a woman and then be born.

Everyone slowly began picking up their discarded meals (which had gotten cold thanks to the unappetising choice of topic), and began eating again. Although Shippo still sat still.

"So," he said after a while. The group jumped at the sound of his voice, knowing more uncomfortable questions were soon to follow. "If I wanted to have a baby with say…" He surveyed around the village. "That woman over there…" He pointed to a lady that looked a few years older than Sango, tending to some crops. "I would have to do something where I came together with her and then a little bit of me would go into her?"

No one spoke. They all simply starred at one another. Kagome cleared her throat. "Um Inuyasha… how does... how does _it_ work with demons?"

Inuyasha immediately began fidgeting with the rim of his ramen cup, obviously uncomfortable with all the attention of the topic focused on him. "They don't go through _that_ until they actually appear that age… If Shippo could do that now… it would just be weird and gross."

The young demon was confused. What were they talking about? What was '_it_'? What was '_that_'? "What are you guys talking about?" he asked.

Instead of answering that question, Kagome chose to respond to his previous one. "Shippo, you wouldn't be able to… have a baby with that woman or any woman for that matter. You're too young. You have to be… Inuyasha and Miroku's age to be able to have children. The same goes for young girls. They can't bear children until they're at least 12 or 13 years old."

Shippo nodded his head in understanding. Another curious question suddenly came to him at that though. "So… why don't you and Inuyasha have a baby? You're old enough right?"

Inuyasha fumbled with his ramen cup, nearly spilling the contents on his lap. Kagome mentally cursed herself. She should have seen that one coming. She had walked right into it. "Uh… umm… well… because…" She struggled for the right words. "A baby is difficult to care for. It has a lot of needs because it isn't able to take care of itself. Usually people wait until they feel they're ready to handle that responsibility before having a baby." Man, was she ever glad she wasn't considering becoming a health teacher…

"But Kagome you're really responsible. I'm sure you could handle a baby." The way Shippo worded it made Kagome think he was attempting to flatter her.

She smiled awkwardly at the boy. "No… I don't think I'd be ready to take care of a baby…"

"Oh... okay." Shippo began eating his rice again.

Kagome eyed the young boy suspiciously. That couldn't be all. After all the questions and thoughts… just 'oh... okay'? The others were sending the little demon glances as well. Shippo just continued munching on his lunch. He took a gulp of his soda and stretched out his arms.

"Wow, am I ever stuffed," he said, patting his stomach. "How about you guys?"

Everyone looked down meekly at their cold, discarded meals. It was no use attempting to eat them now.

"Well, I suppose we should start looking for more jewel shards right?" He began putting the untouched foods back into Kagome's bag. "We've already spent quite a bit of time in this village…" He placed his hands on his hips when all he got was stares. "C'mon guys! Hop to it!"

"Shippo?" Miroku said. "See those kids down there? Why don't you go play for a bit and we'll finish cleaning up."

"You sure?"

Everyone nodded simultaneously. "Well okay. Let me now when we're all set to leave!" He ran down into the valley Miroku had gestured to.

Kagome looked into her bag and took out the only food that could be eaten in the short time they'd been given. She sighed sorely. "Well… who wants ramen?"

* * *

Hope you liked it! Please review!!!


End file.
